Iconic? Really?

“Inspired by the runways of Paris, Milan and London. Icon Collection- sophisticated interpretations of fashion’s top trends, designed with the finest details and fabrics.”

I haven’t seen the collection face to face so I can’t pass judgement on the quality of the fabrics or garment manufacture, but looking at the images online I’m really not that impressed. The Lane Bryant statement is big but the collection hits me with a slight nudge rather than the sledgehammer blow I was looking out for- or even an uppercut. There are pieces I like….

$178

$58

$88

….then there are pieces that look like LB just re hashed old non- favourites….

$98

$78

$98

To me the collection as a whole says “classic” not “top trends” but I’m glad to see that Lane Bryant are trying to step up their game and offer better quality garments even if the design of some of it doesn’t quite hit the mark. The styling in the promo pics is a bit naff too IMHO which doesn’t help. Still, they gave it a go and I can’t knock them for that, I just hope they develop the range for future seasons so that come spring they give us something to get excited about.

One good thing though- there’s not a wrap dress in sight and that in itself shows progress.

It all seems like a bit of a half assed effort. Its like they went with the harem pants and asymetric tops then chickened out with the rest of it. I didn’t expect the range to be “out there” or anything like the Beth Ditto range for example, I just thought it might be a bit more imaginative.
I hope you try on the harem pants! I like harem pants in general but the ones in the range look a bit strange. Would be interested to hear what they are like just out of curiosity.

I took a peek in the store yesterday and was unsurprised to find most everything was cheap-looking polyester. There was this cute boho “silky” dress (http://tinyurl.com/nnj3up) that was of a most heinous polyester. There was a grey silk blouse that was quite beautiful (can’t seem to find it on the site), but it was $100, out of my range. I thought this dress–http://tinyurl.com/lv3ngt–looked better in person. I’d consider this if it was on sale, http://tinyurl.com/neg4ao, even though it is poly. The faux leathers looked really cheap, but were in the $100 range. There was a red plaid coat that I would consider if it was on sale, but that also seems to not be on the site.
Overall, it felt like the same old LB with a couple of decent pieces, all of which were too expensive.😦

I’ve been scratching my head over why I’m so unimpressed with this collection, and it just comes back to the fact (in my opinion!) that it’s marketed to older women who don’t care about fashion and don’t question when a brand tells them pieces are “straight from the catwalk”. Unfortunately for us, we love fashion and know what’s up!

I’m all for youth collections. I mean, the reason City Chic’s runway show wowed us all was because it featured exactly the kind of cute, wearable, youthful versions of high street trends – not high fashion, but exactly the kind of stuff we’re used to seeing from stores that cater to straight sizes. The fact that CC’s demographic was girls aged between 18 and 28 made a MASSIVE difference.

I 43; this stuff is dull and if they are marketing it to me they totally missed. I saw the pictures and was completely unimpressed. I also have no idea what catwalks they got that stuff off; I read a bunch of of fashion mags and haven’t seen anything that looks like this stuff. And for those prices I’ll go buy cashmere from J.Jill.

Frankly, I hardly ever go there anymore. I actually went today because I received a $15 off $15 or more and tried a bunch of stuff on. I walked out with one pair of the lafayette pants in black that are my go-to work pants. Nothing else was good in style, scale, quality or price.

Yeah. Sorry if my comment sounded ageist – what I meant was that they probably have a certain type of woman in mind (in marketing they usually come up with one specific person they feel their brand should be marketed to. They give them names and treat them like old friends, it’s a bit creepy) regardless of what people similar to their ideal target actually wants. When I say they market to a certain age group, I mean they market what they assume that age group wants, not what they actually do.

I understood exactly what you meant in your original comment and I’m sure everyone did too! I think that maybe it would have been a better idea to give the collection a real distinction and aim the range at a slightly younger customer than their main line, with an up to the minute range full of high quality design led clothing. Something that was a little closer in style to somewhere like Reiss rather than BHS. I use Reiss as an example (not their new 1971 casual collection) because its smart and fashionable without looking OTT. The pricepoints are higher but the quality is great and you can generally find something there whether you are 25 or 40.

When I arrived home from work today, a multi-page, full-color Lane Bryant advert was in the mail. While I was happy to see the effort put forth with the “icon” line, the individual pieces pictured didn’t really grab me. However, I determined to make some time this weekend to visit LB and try some things on. Wish me luck!

I think they’re trying – and failing – to take a page from Anna Scholz, Kiyonna and Igigi. But I’m just guessing wildly. Rather than saying “we’re trying to compete with the people eating our market share” they’re going with the “let’s sell you on a high end illusion” technique that only works with a very small demographic of Americans.

I blogged about Icon last Friday, and some of the items appealed to me because I’m 33 and dress more conservatively. That said, I did go into LB yesterday. I tried on the retro print dress that’s paired with the orange cardigan. The dress is cut big and it puckers in the breast. It’s a swing dress, so if you get caught in a breeze, everyone will see your goodies unless you wear tights or leggings underneath.

I did purchase the grey sweater vest because I love sweater vests and it’s very versatile. I also like the cardigan/cami set, but of course, just like everything in LB, size 26/28 always goes first.

Those that are younger and want to dress trendier aren’t going to like Icon. Those that are a bit older and are looking for office-type wear or something more classic will probably take a chance on it. But those huge-sleeved tunics are tacky.

I got a lot of things this past weekend as I had “Real Women Dollars” to spend. (I got $200 worth of Spanx for $100. I digress.)

I picked up the new leopard print Icon dress (not on display yet) and love it. I got it for $63 instead of $118 with progressive savings ($25 off $75 and $30 gift check). I couldn’t justify the $118 price tag. But it wears beautifully. I also got this http://tinyurl.com/neg4ao for $30. It’s a great layering dress and definitely needs accessories, but that’s the fun of it for me.

Lane Bryant’s stab at a fashion line is encouraging. I hope they stick with it and really find a vision. Right now, I keep getting this vision of “equestrian/polo match wear”. I can’t see myself walking around the grocery store in the get-up to have people ask where my horse is stabled. Yeah, I don’t have a horse.